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Driving while impaired by a drug

People impaired by a drug are not safe drivers because of the effects of drugs on the body. Impaired drivers put everyone at risk including others on the road, pedestrians and their own passengers.

Driving impaired by a drug is also illegal and is subject to serious penalties including the potential for life imprisonment if there is a death. On April 13, 2017, we proposed legislation that would strengthen impaired driving laws and help better protect you from drug-impaired driving.

Learn more about the risks of driving impaired by a drug.

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Risks while driving impaired by a drug

When you drive a vehicle, your brain needs to be alert and focused. Even small amounts of a drug can affect your ability to drive safely. Different drugs act on your brain in different ways, but almost all affect your:

attention

judgment

motor skills

reaction time

decision-making skills

balance and coordination

Serious accidents can easily happen when you drive while impaired by a drug. Many drivers who have collisions may have both drugs and alcohol in their system.

Drugs that contribute to collisions

Studies of vehicle accidents around the world show that the drugs most commonly found in drivers involved in accidents (after alcohol) include:

cannabis (marijuana)

opioids

amphetamines

benzodiazepines

cocaine

Despite popular myth, driving after using cannabis is not safer than driving after drinking alcohol. Cannabis impairs you differently than alcohol but it still impairs.

Performance becomes even worse if drivers combine drugs, such as cannabis, with alcohol.

Prescription drugs, can also impair driving. Legal drugs, such as opioid pain relievers and benzodiazepines (prescribed for anxiety or sleep disorders) can affect a person's ability to safely control a moving vehicle. People who are prescribed these medications are warned by their pharmacist against operating any machinery, including vehicles, for a certain time after taking them. People who use these medications to get high may not even be aware of this danger.

Teenagers, drugs and driving: advice for parents

Many car crashes involving teenagers are caused by inexperience and poor judgment. When these factors are combined with alcohol, cannabis or other drugs, the results can be tragic.

5% of students in grades 7 to 12 reported having driven a vehicle within 2 hours of cannabis use

15% of students in grades 7 to 12 reported being a passenger in a motor vehicle driven by someone who had used cannabis in the previous 2 hours

Parents play a vital role in teaching young people to drive responsibly. That means teaching them not to drive impaired by alcohol or drugs. There is no safe limit for young drivers, since even one drink or a small amount of a drug can affect them.

Parents may wish to:

discuss how drugs and alcohol can impair driving ability, affect perceptions, and slow reaction times

remind teens that it is always illegal to drive impaired by alcohol or drugs

make it clear that using alcohol, cannabis or other drugs when driving is dangerous

discuss the dangers of getting into a car with a driver who has been drinking or using drugs

model safe driving behaviour by never driving any vehicle impaired

Get help

Are you struggling with problematic drug use? Is someone you care about having a problem?

Help is available, whether you need it for yourself, a friend, or a family member.

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